QUINCY, Mass. –  Russell Sage College fell in the first round of the New England Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament 3-0 tonight at Eastern Nazarene.

Senior opposite Deshawn Fleary (Newark, NJ/Immaculate Conception Montclair) (above) led the Gators, seeded sixth, with four kills and five digs. Sophomore outside hitter Joseph Vice (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) added two kills, while setter Ryan Jennings (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick Twp.), a graduate student, recorded eight assists and two digs.

Sophomore outside hitter Alejandro Garcia Fernandez, who was voted the NECC Player of the Year, topped ENC with 15 kills on .565 hitting and five aces. Freshman opposite Jacob Zarges contributed six kills, seven digs and five aces, while sophomore setter Aaron Huang dished out 15 assists.

The Lions (14-12), the three seed, play in the NECC Semifinals on Thursday, while the Gators are scheduled to return to the court in January 2023.

Notes: RSC (6-24) made the NECC Tournament in its first season as an associate member of the conference...The spring also was the first with Reid Hartl at the helm of the Gators...Jennings concluded the campaign with 2,157 career assists, second-most in program records...Senior defensive specialist Asuan Farrell (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) represented RSC on the NECC Sportsmanship Team.

Gator Golf Classic: The 17th annual Gator Golf Classic will be held on June 3rd at Colonie Country Club. Registration for the event is now open at: alumni.sage.edu/gatorgolf2022

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